PM Update: Warm today, warmer tomorrow

Another nice one Thursday, rain chances return after

Our current stretch of near-perfect weather is into day 3, with the main day-to-day change being slightly warmer highs each afternoon. Unless you've been looking really hard, you probably didn't see many clouds today. When lots of sun combines with light winds and highs in the mid-70s most spots, it's about as good as it gets in October around here. It stays mild into the evening with one more awesome one tomorrow before rain chances return on Friday.

Temperatures: Current area temperatures. Powered by Weather Bonk. Map by Google. Hover over and click icons for more info. Click and hold on map to pan. Refresh page to update. See map bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: Temperatures fall through the 70s and into the mid-60s around sunset -- a good evening for outdoor plans. With dry air entrenched and mostly clear skies continuing, we'll see another solid tumble of temperatures overnight, though they'll be a bit warmer than last night. Lows near the mid-40s for the typically coldest locales to mid-50s in the city.

Tomorrow (Thursday): We're looking at another warm day with plenty of sunshine on Thursday. Temperatures once again rise above average, and even a bit higher than today. Mid-70s should do it many spots, but some upper 70s are also in the cards. Clouds should begin to increase late in the day.

The Movie Weather Channel: What to do when there's a lull in the weather? Watch movies of course! The Weather Channel announced this week that they will begin showing select movies, mostly with a heavy weather theme behind them, at the end of this month. First up is "The Perfect Storm," scheduled to air on Oct. 30, the anniversary of the 1991 storm on which the film is based. What do you think of this programming change? Will TWC eventually become the MTV of weather? (i.e., not much in the way of actual weather coverage?)

Gotta say, I do like the new Weather Channel. It's been going through a lot of changes, and some of their programming has been entertaining. They had a special about sailing in the Chesapeake last week that was really good. Although, in traditional sensationalism fashion, they made the Chesapeake sound worse than the Cape...

I would prefer that the Weather Channel air factual documentaries (similar to "Isaac's Storm" that originally appeared on the History Channel) that deal primarily with accurately described significant weather events.

Movies are a bad idea. For instance, "The Perfect Storm" is a flawed movie that spends too much time speculating on (or obsessing about) how the crew of the Andrea Gail endured their last hours before disappearing in the Atlantic.